Pomegranate
by Painted Orchid
Summary: The Doctor and Rose explore how pomegranates came to exist on Earth, all while falling for each other more than they already have. But, of course, they'll never admit it, or act on it. Will they? Ten/Rose fluff fic. Involves telepathic trees, a harvest festival on an alien planet, and the frustrations of removing pomegranate seeds.
1. Chapter 1

The two things I have never written are one-shots and fluff. Just never had an interest really, I tend to prefer longer, more action-y stories. And then this happened. Somehow, my first-ever fanfic is a fluffy one-shot. Who knew?

Anyway, this is what happens when I try to eat a pomegranate, read Doctor Who, and write an essay at the same time. Plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone, so it got made into a story. I always thought these fruits seemed rather... alien. So here's my story of where pomegranates are _really_ from. Ten/Rose of course, my absolute favorite (and at this time only) Doctor Who pairing!

Disclaimer: Obviously I don't own Doctor Who. If I did Rose would be a Time Lady and be with the Doctor forever.

Read, enjoy, and if you please, leave helpful comments or critiques in the review section with that little button on the bottom of the screen. Please no flames, first fanfiction, ok?

"Argh, who designed this stupid fruit anyways? It's so damn difficult to get the seeds out," Rose growled in annoyance as she attempted to pry the little red balls out of the surprisingly strong pomegranate flesh, biting her tongue in concentration. They had stopped by Earth recently, and while walking through an open market, Rose had spotted a pomegranate and remarked that she'd never tied one. So of course, the Doctor bought one of the strange maroon fruits. At first she'd been grateful, and excited, but now it just seemed like the fruit was fighting her.

"The Wasaki Clan," the Doctor called out to her from across the room, back turned, fiddling with his sonic screwdriver.

"The what?" Rose asked, stopping her struggle with the fruit to raise an eyebrow at him.

"The Wasaki Clan," he called again, louder as though she must not have heard him. Honestly, even though she didn't have superior Time Lord senses, she wasn't deaf.

"What?" she tried again.

"Are you deaf? I said the Was-"

"Okay I heard you Doctor! I meant what do you mean, who are the Wasaki Clan? Some famous gardening group from ancient Rome?" Rose asked, biting back her sarcasm. He turned around to face her, and crossed his arms over his chest. His grin made her melt inside, just a little. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind.

"Oh, they invented pomegranates. And it was ancient Tefari, the planet, not Rome. Way before your time, you wouldn't know that story." She gasped at him, the only thought running through her stunned mind that he was smirking just a little too much at her reaction. He was having her on... wasn't he?

"You're kidding. You're telling me that pomegranates are an alien fruit?" Rose said skeptically, glancing down at the fruit in her hands, white flesh peppered with jewel-like seeds. On second thought, Rose supposed that it _was_ an awfully strange-looking fruit.

"One-hundred percent, _absolument_ an alien fruit. Really nice civilization that lived on Tefari-12, probably still does as a matter of fact. Quite a beautiful planet too. Very nature-y," he shot Rose another grin, and she rolled her eyes.

"Really? Nature-y, that's the best you could come up with?" The Doctor looked affronted.

"Well it's true. Perfect description really for a planet populated by a species of the best botanists in the universe. Lots of forests, they've got, warm 98 percent of the year- except for the 2 percent winter of sub zero temperatures. It's a nice planet for a vacation. Fancy a trip?" he asked suddenly. It was all Rose could do to keep up with his remarkably rapid changes in topic. And she'd thought she was getting better at following them. Apparently not.

"Hold on a moment Doctor," she said, holding up one hand and putting the other on her hip. You are telling me that pomegranates aren't from Earth, but Tefari, and were invented by a race of Tefarian gardeners called the Wasaki Clan?" Rose said seriously, one eyebrow raised, her disbelief still plainly apparent. The Doctor nodded.

"Yep," he said, popping the 'p'. "Come on, you didn't _really_ think that pomegranates originated on Earth did you? Hundreds of seeds, all nutrient packed with more enzymes than humans can even metabolize. Far too efficient for you apes to whip up." Rose just rolled her eyes at the jibe at her species. If she wanted to be honest, she privately agreed with the Doctor some of the time.

"I always thought they looked a little weird, but how'd they get to Earth from Tefari? Did they just drop them off as a gift or something? And they _are _safe to eat right?" she asked, holding one of the seeds from the bowl that she'd finally extricated up to the light. It'd be just her luck to get poisoned from a sort-of-alien fruit. The Doctor gave her a scathing look before darting his hand into the bowl and swiping a handful of her hard-won seeds. "Oi!" she snapped, glaring but he just laughed and popped them in his mouth.

"Course they're safe. Humans have been eating them for centuries. They don't have as much of an effect on you lot as they do for the inhabitants of Tefari. Their poor race needs them like you need air, their DNA starts to destabilize without their antioxidants and such. The Wasaki can do brilliant things with pomegranates. Do you know, they're only called that on Earth? Everywhere else in the galaxy they're known as the 'Golden Gift of the Wasaki.' Quite rare to find any out there in the galaxy too. Only humans commercialize something that's supposed to be sacred on it's home planet-what?" The Doctor cuts himself off and Rose knows he's seen her stifling a laugh.

"Babbling. Now, that's all very interesting, and I apologize for any past insults of my race, but how did humans end up with pomegranates anyways?" she asked, still smiling. The Doctor huffed like a petulant child, but went on.

"Weeell, you see, the Wasaki Clan visited Asia- the continent, not the planet- around, oh 400, no 4000BC with pomegranates as a gift for some Emperor who really, _really_ liked gardening. They were supposed to be an announcement of their arrival and honor of fellow plant lover, etc etc. Well, the palace gardener quite misunderstood, took the credit for breeding some strange sort of apple, called it a pomegranate after his daughter, and it spread around the world. The Wasaki Clan got caught up in some natural disaster in some other civilization and never remembered to return. They're an awfully forgetful race, great with plants and bloody useless with anything else." The Doctor took a deep breath and stood up straighter, clearly proud of his knowledge and ready to start another monologue, but Rose decided to burst in before she burst into laughter at his pompous look.

"Can we go?" she asked, eyes sparkling. She tried to act mature about it, she figured he must get tired of her childishness sometimes, but she felt it sneaking out in her excitement anyways. The Doctor looked taken aback by the sudden request. "To Tefari er- 12 was it?" The Doctor's face lit up, matching her grin with one of his own.

"Of Course! Hold on!" Rose had just enough time to grab her bowl of painstakingly removed pomegranate seeds before the TARDIS lurched out of the vortex and landed with a thud.

"If you'd made me spill a single one," she threatened, shaking her fist at the Doctor, though her ruse was ruined by the grin splitting her face. He said nothing, simply gesturing to the door. Rose set the bowl on the counter and darted over to step out the TARDIS' doors.

"It's beautiful," she murmured, subdued at once by the rainbow assortment of trees and plants, growing in shapes she'd never imagined. She gestured to a huge tree right beside the TARDIS, so wide as to be bigger than her house and so tall it seemed to stretch up for miles. "It's... Fantastic," she said, with a tongue-in-teeth smile. Beside her, the Doctor locked his fingers with hers and pulled her towards it, lying her palm against the tree's smooth, pinkish-grey bark. She gasped.

"It hums like the TARDIS, like it's speaking," she whispered, awe in her voice, eyes shining as she looked at the Doctor. He never stopped amazing her, finding wonderous things to show her through all space and time. She could never thank him enough, and could never see herself without _this _in her life every day, his hand in hers, Rose Tyler and the Doctor, forever. Oblivious to her musings, the Doctor grinned, whether at her or the tree, Rose wasn't sure.

"Yep. They're telepathic." Rose just leaned against the tree, feeling a wave of comfort, like it was greeting her.

"Hello travelers, the forest welcomes you." At first Rose looked at the tree in shock, thinking it had spoken, until she caught movement in the corner of her eye. A blue-skinned native, covered in scales with a long tail and webbed feet and hands stepped out from behind something that looked like an upside-down pine tree. The Doctor bowed, and Rose followed his lead, assuming the woman before them was a Tefarian.

"I'm the Doctor and this is Rose Tyler. We've come to see the great Pom-Pom forests of Tefari-12," he said, puffing out his chest like he'd done something incredibly important. Rose rolled her eyes. The woman smiled, though it was tinged with sadness.

"My people, the Wasaki Clan are deeply proud that you have come so far from-" she paused.

"Earth," the Doctor supplied helpfully. She smiled again.

"from Earth to visit our magnificent forests." Rose thought she caught something along the lines of 'especially since you've burned all the ones on your own planet,' but she couldn't be sure. She resolved to ask the Doctor later if he'd heard with his superior hearing. The blue-skinned woman continued, "My name is Nakima, and I am so sorry, but at the moment, the Pom-Pom forests are heavily depleted, nowhere near the height of their glory. Right now, it is not even clear if there will be enough to replant after the freeze. The festivities are to start this sunset, but for the first time in millennia, we may not have enough seeds prepared. There are Golden Gift fruits in the stores, yes, but we must remove the seeds in order to plant them and celebrate them, and there simply isn't time before the freeze." Nakima hung her head, and Rose's heart went out to her.

"What can we do?" she asked simply, ignoring the Doctor's warning squeeze on her hand. Nakima's eyes widened.

"You would help prepare the festival? But you are guests!" Rose knew the Doctor wouldn't want to get involved, but there was a desperate hope in Nakima's eyes that Rose couldn't ignore.

"We're helpful guests, right Doctor?" Rose asked impishly. The Doctor's eyes were narrowed, flicking frantically towards the TARDIS as though plotting an escape route. Rose tightened her grip on his hand, shooting him a devilish grin. He was_ not_ going to get out of this one, and she'd never let him forget it.

"Weeelll what would this help involve," he asked cautiously.

"If you and your companion could help harvest the seeds to be planted next year, it would allow us to replenish the trees next year after the freeze and provide for tonight's celebration." The Doctor shifted uncomfortably, still glancing at the TARDIS, and Rose giggled, tightening her grip further like a vice.

"Oh no you don't," she said firmly, "we 're going to help them Doctor."

"But...it's gardening! Do you have any idea how domestic that is?" he whined, sounding like a petulant teenager. Rose rolled her eyes.

"Come on," she said anyways, dragging him by the hand after Nakima as she walked deeper into the forests. Honestly, the things she had to do to get him to be a little less rude sometimes. As they followed Nakima, their pace picking up to a steady jog, the Doctor reflected that the Tyler women were very determined when they wanted their way.

AN- Okay so I lied, this story has 3 chapters, it's not really a one-shot. I'll have he next one up in a couple of days. They're all written... Just not typed. I'm old fashioned and like to write my stories by hand first, so that's typically what takes the longest between updates. I would love to get feedback, even if it's just to say you liked it, hated it, thought I spelled the word the as 'teh'. Leave a review, if you please, and until next time!

~Orchid


	2. Chapter 2: To Pick a Peck of Pomegranate

Chapter 2- To Pick a Peck of Pomegranates

**Disclaimer- *checks email* Nope! They still haven't emailed me the rights to Doctor Who. Still don't own it, sorry! I do however own a single pomegranate. Well, I did until I ate it. Oh, and by the way, I **_**did**_** invent Tefari-12 and the Wasaki Clan. And the story of how pomegranates came to Earth. It may come as a shock to some of you, but pomegranates **_**are**_** actually from Earth. Despite their appearance, they are native fruit. As far as I know anyways. To those who have reviewed and favorite or followed this story, thank you so very much, it brightened my day to learn that people out there are actually reading this! Read, review, and enjoy!**

Only an hour later, Rose and the Doctor sat side by side on the grass outside a Wasaki tree-home, removing seeds from pomegranates. Rose couldn't quite get over the fact that these were the exact same fruits she'd picked up in a London market earlier that day. Sitting on an alien planet's blue grass, next to the Doctor and a house made out of a tree that grew in a hollow dome shape, it was utterly surreal. This was everything she loved about traveling with the Doctor; that every day was new and exciting and amazing. Just like him.

Rose shot a shy look sideways, and smiled at the determined look on his face as he pried seeds from the pomegranate flesh carefully, delicately. And this was the same man who could swordfight with a Sycorax and grip her hand as they ran away from whatever explosion he'd caused most recently. He turned, as though he felt her gaze on him, and Rose blushed, searching her mind frantically for something to say. She wasn't just staring at him. Not really.

"So what's this festival for?" Rose asked the Doctor, turning her attention back to her struggles with her own pomegranate and trying not to feel his warm brown gaze on her.

"Oh, it celebrates the pomegranate harvest before the Frost. It's also a sort of New Year's celebration too. Tefari gets one frost a year for two weeks straight of sub-zero temperatures. Everything goes into hibernation, including the Wasaki people. These fruits have so much energy, they keep them healthy during the Frost."

"You are partially right Doctor," Nakima interrupted, gracefully settling herself down across from them, legs crossed and tail wrapped over her lap. "These Golden Gifts- Pomegranates as you call them- provide all the nutrients we need. We engineered them specifically to meet these requirements. And…" she broke off, cocking her head to listen to something, but Rose couldn't hear anything. "Sorry, Clanmaster Rochenleok needs to see me," Nakima said, and then she was gone, bounding across the blue grass like a deer.

"The pomegranates also replenish their DNA," the Doctor said softly, his voice tinged with something darker, the sort of melancholy Rose had come to associate with her northern Doctor. She shot him a concerned glance, but his face showed nothing, and he seemed entirely focused on the fruit in his hands. "During the Time War, we came close to this planet… the radiation that struck should have killed them, but they survived, and they developed this very fruit to hold their DNA. It fixes the mutations and repairs the breakdowns. It's why humans think it's so good for them. All because my people nearly destroyed this planet." The Doctor stilled, the lost look in his eyes echoing once again something Rose was familiar with but hadn't seen in a long while.

"It wasn't your fault," she said, twining her red-stained, sticky, pomegranate juice-covered fingers with his.

"Rose you have no idea what they- what I did." She leaned into his shoulder, and his breath hitched. She pretended not to notice.

"I don't care. Whatever it was, I know you, and know you didn't mean it." He sighed, and looked at her hazel eyes, his pink-and-yellow human, the sunshine to his darkness.

"Rose Tyler you really are a brilliant ape, you know that?" she gave him one of her huge, tongue-in-teeth Rose Tyler smiles.

"And so the mighty Time Lord admits his inferiority to the tiny ape."

"Now wait a moment, I never said that…"

"You didn't have to. It was implied," Rose sang happily, stopping to gasp as she felt his hand against her cheek, cool and… sticky!

"Hey!" she cried, realizing her face was covered in bright red juice. The Doctor's wide smile rapidly changed to dismay as Rose very deliberately stuck her juice covered hands on the front of his white shirt, just over his hearts, (his jacket having already been removed for fear of death by juice, a fear that he now realized was entirely viable.)

"Oi! That was one of my favorite shirts!" he said, looking down, forlornly at the two, bright red handprints and reflecting that probably even the TARDIS couldn't get rid of the stains. Rose just grinned, and eventually his scowl brightened to match her with his own mad grin.

"I like it better this way," she said, sitting back slightly to run her eyes up and down him, examining her handiwork. She didn't notice his slight tremor, or the way that he proceeded to rake his eyes along her hair swirled into disorder and cheek stained a pinkish-red.

"Me too," he said, almost whispering, and then they were silent. Rose's heart was pounding so loudly she didn't see how he couldn't hear it, and then again, she realized with a start, maybe he could. She felt her cheeks heat up, embarrassed as she wondered if he knew how she felt- right now and always. His eyes were locked on hers, an unfamiliar expression in their deep brown depths, and she shivered, her eyes suddenly drown to his lips. Without her conscious awareness, she leaned forwards, reaching with her hands for his. As their faces grew closer, she suddenly wobbled and toppled over, having leaned too far from where she'd been kneeling on the ground.

Face buried in the Doctor's chest, Rose felt embarrassment heat her face, her hands clutched in his shirt as he wrapped his arms around her, and to her shock pulled her around and into his lap. Both stilled, and she looked up at him in surprise for a moment, distantly amused to find her surprise echoed in his expression. Unable to stop herself, Rose started giggling, leaning back into his chest. For a moment the Doctor remained as still as a statue, but then he started to chuckle. Before either of them knew it, they were stretched out on the grass laughing hysterically, arms wrapped around one another, completely content. Even after they stopped laughing they sat there, Rose's back pressed against the Doctor's chest and his arms around her shoulders.

"We aren't getting very much pomegranate seeding done Doctor," she said, just needing something to say as she tried to slow her racing heartbeat, closing her eyes.

"Oh? Do you want to get back to it then," he asked, loosening his arms a bit. Rose wondered if she'd imagined the disappointment in his voice. She took hold of his arms with her own, fought down her sudden anxiety and pulled them back around her shoulders.

"No, this is nice. Let's just… stay awhile," she said, closing her eyes and feeling the Doctor's dual heartbeats pound against her back. She wanted to remember this moment forever, she thought, wholly unawares that the Doctor was thinking the exact same thought as she drifted off to sleep beside him.

**AN- I have no idea how this ended up so cute and fluffy. This is pretty much my first attempt at ever (and I mean ever) writing romance, so if anyone has any feedback or ways to improve, please let me know! The third and final chapter will be ready for update soon, probably before next week. This story just started writing itself, (my characters have a funny way of knocking me over the head and dragging me through the plot of their own accord,) turning out much longer than I was expecting, but it was definitely a pleasant surprise. It's certainly one of the best feelings when you read over what you wrote, look at a line and say "wow, that's really good. Did I write that?" I swear half the time I don't remember it! I hope you are enjoying this story as much as I am, and if you are leave a review below!**


	3. Chapter 3: A Pomegranate Party

**AN- Here's the final chapter (sad, I know, but it's my favorite chapter.) I am so excited to have finished my first fanfiction, and this has been a fun experience, short as it was. Thank you to all of you who have reviewed, I think you will be quite pleased by this chapter *wink.* This just sort of happened, the Doctor and Rose took my pencil and keyboard and danced off with them and then here's a chapter. Read, Enjoy, and Review.**

**Disclaimer: Still do not own Doctor Who. And I also no longer own a pomegranate. It's very sad.**

Ch 3: Pomegranate Party

Rose stepped up to the mirror-like surface of the pool, running a hand down the garment she'd been gifted by Nakima. After her nap, she and the Doctor had finished their de-seeding of the pomegranates, and had been invited to the festival- although Nakima had warned them it was going to be smaller and more subdued this year. Rose had brought her own gift from the TARDIS, the little bowl of seeds she'd taken from her own Earth pomegranate. Nakima's eyes flooded with purple tears at the "sacred gift" and promised Rose a very special ceremony tonight despite the blonde's attempts to wave off the gratitude. And now, she was clothed in a beautiful slip of a dress, woven from what appeared to be flower petals and leaves from hundreds of different plants in an aromatic, beautiful blend of soft and earthy colors.

With one last look in the mirror-pool Rose stepped out of the hollow tree dwelling only to find, to her surprise, the Doctor standing sheepishly with a crown of flowers and leaves adorning his head. Rose giggled, but stopped abruptly when she noticed he was just standing there, mouth agape. He was too far away fro her to see the expression in his dark eyes, but he was unusually still and that worried her.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" she asked nervously, suddenly feeling self-conscious as she glanced down at her appearance. She caught sight of her bare feet and noticed with some half-hearted amusement that the Doctor's feet were bare too, though he still wore his pinstriped suit and trousers. "Is it the dress? I knew it would look kind of strange but…"

"It's beautiful; you're beautiful," he said quietly. Rose's face split into a wide grin, her special tongue-in-teeth, just for you grin and they both broke into a run to close the distance between them. He scooped her into a swirling hug, and Rose closed her eyes, losing herself in the dizzying spin and wishing it would never end. She was still giddy and disoriented when he set her down, and it was all she could do to hold tightly to one of his hands for balance while the other slipped into her hair, just above her ear.

"What are you doing," she asked breathlessly, her eyes locked on his as she reached tentatively to where his hand still rested just below her temple. Her fingers brushed his, electrifyingly sensitive where they met, and then she felt the flower he'd placed there. The Doctor dropped his had from her hair and turned abruptly, practically dragging her towards the pool again.

"Just look." Rose gasped as she saw, the beautiful violet and white rose shining with silver droplets on its petals. Tears threatened to flood her eyes, so she turned around to bury her face in the Doctor's chest instead, wrapping him in a hug until his arms came around her.

"Thank you Doctor, it's beautiful. I love it," she then leaned back, just a bit, to look up at his widely grinning face with an impish smile of her own. "I also _love_ the flowery tiara." Then, laughing and ignoring his affronted retort that it was a very dignified tradition on Tefari-12, Rose skipped over to where Nakima was motioning for them to join the gathering of the Wasaki people in the Pom-Pom orchard. The Doctor watched her go, his nostrils still full of the overpowering, intoxicating scent that drew him to her like a magnet before following with his own bounding steps, eager to get this party started.

"Our gifting goddess Rose Tyler, she named for a flower with all the tenderness and love to care for one. With the Doctor, ancient and all knowing, her mate and companion, we begin the festival!" Nakima said, the scales on her blue tail sparkling in the light of thousands of fireflies (well, large glowing moths that Rose compared to fireflies anyway.) The Clanmaster, seated on a low tree branch with his own tail coiled protectively around the tree's trunk, gave a nod and music rang out through the grove. Rose and the Doctor both blushed at Nakima's wording and their designation as 'mates,' they both knew it wasn't the Earth-slang use of the word after all, but there was hardly time to think as all of the Wasaki people began to sing and dance and they were hurled into a whirlwind of sound, laughter, and the tantalizing aroma of flowers.

As the music slowed, and they sipped their fourth cups of pomegranate wine- quite potent too if you asked the Doctor, usually quite immune. Rose leaned against him and he soaked in every detail of her face, her smell, and her body against his. If they were dancing so closely together that they were nearly one, it was just because they need to hold one another to keep their balance and keep hold of one another in the crowd. That was it.

"You know… you were _my _companion tonight, not the other way around," Rose said, eyes sparkling, lips parted tantalizingly, and the Doctor felt all rational thought, doubt and fear go out the window. Spinning her around so they both stumbled and had to lean against a tree for balance, he locked his hands on her waist- thought whether to hold her or keep himself upright he wasn't sure.

"I guess that makes us companions for each other," he whispered huskily, Rose's giggling like the chime of bells to his fuzzy ears and mind. As he breathed in her scent, eyes drawn to her shining face and red lips, she closed the space between them and met his lips with hers. Neither of them had ever felt such passion, proverbial fireworks going off as the world around them, music and motion faded to a distant hum. Rose was only aware of the heat spreading from her mouth throughout her body and the feel of the Doctor and her as one. They finally broke apart, laughing but still entwined, and rejoined the dancing once more despite their near inability to stand up straight. Rose couldn't tell if it was the pomegranate wine or the Doctor's skin on hers or her hand in his hair, but she couldn't have told you the difference between up and down as they spun off together into the night.

Rose woke up in her room in the TARDIS, head pounding and the night before fuzzy. All she knew was that there had been a festival, and dancing, and she had been so incredibly happy. Groaning, she stumbled into the console room and slumped across the jumpseat, closing her eyes and fighting down the dizziness and sickness.

"Here, drink this," she heard a moment later, the words like an anvil to her brain. Cracking one eye open against the lights the TARDIS must have just dimmed for her- she sent a silent thank you to the ship- Rose eyed the mug suspiciously, nausea threatening to overwhelm her even just looking at the liquid inside. "It'll help Rose, I promise," the Doctor said, lifting her hand and wrapping her fingers around the mug. She gave a weak smile at his sweet gesture, however domestic it might be, and let him lift the mug to her lips. She sipped slowly, praying she didn't throw up on the TARDIS' console, 'cause the Doctor would never forgive her if she did _that_. As soon as the liquid burned its way down her throat however, the nausea vanished, her headache faded, and Rose sighed in relief.

"Thanks. What happened last night?" she asked, leaning back in the chair and sipping the mug a little more enthusiastically now that she knew it contained magic Time-Lord hangover tea. She'd really need to get that recipe from the Doctor. She missed seeing the smile fall from the Doctor's face and the disappointment that flickered across his expression for a moment.

"Oh just a Wasaki Clan party, per usual. Their celebrations go on for days and their tolerance is a little higher than, er, non-Tefarian species. I forgot how inebriating their pomegranates can be when they ferment them. It's a very special process too; produces the finest wines. They have to store it for an extra cycle, and open it just before it freezes. Then BAM! It's at the perfect point just in time for the festival-"

"Doctor, stop. Still got a headache here," Rose said, wincing and rubbing her temples. He sighed and stood nervously beside her.

"So… you don't remember anything from last night? He asked hesitantly, his hand working nervously through his hair. Rose didn't seem to notice his unease.

"Nope, well, maybe just some dancing and general partying. Must've been some party, huh?" she said happily, wrapping her hands more firmly around her mug and smiling up at him. He gave her a sad smile in return, thinking that maybe it was better that she didn't remember.

"Yeah, some party." He jumped up and darted around the console room, jpicking up something and whirling back over to hand it to Rose. She looked at the tiny, potted seedling with interest. "Here, a present from Nakima, for their, ahem, golden harvest goddess."

"Me? A harvest goddess? They've got to be joking!" Rose sputtered, choking on a mouthful of hot tea and laughing hysterically despite the fresh round of headaches that brought on. The Doctor joined her in laughter, before adding with a sly smile.

"Well, you did look rather like a goddess in that dress." Rose's eyes grew huge, and he winced internally at the look of surprise and longing on her face. He couldn't believe he'd just said that, oh this gob was going to get him into huge trouble one day. "Anyway, this is a Tchaikovlio Tree, grown first on the planet of Halliovous, later cultivated on Tefari-12 when Halliovous entered their ice age and it became apparent that their horticultural days were over. Here, take it," the Doctor said, practically shoving the plant at her, anything to take her focus off of him. He should know it was impossible. She glared at him, a promise to talk later, and reached out a delicate, pink nail polished hand to stroke the tree's tiny golden leaves and jumped back like she'd been shocked.

"It's telepathic!" she said, feeling the hum, simple and strangely childlike beneath her fingers as she cautiously reached to it once more. "What does its name mean?" she asked the Doctor, getting a strange feeling from the plant that it had a meaning, an important one. He shifted in place, as though he couldn't decide if he wanted to bounce around the TARDIS or stand right next to her. He picked the bouncing first, making a full circuit around the console looking as if he was trying to solve an incredibly complex maths problem. Then when he came back around to her, he stopped, ramrod straight, apparently deciding to give her an answer. Rose just rolled her eyes, hadn't she known the moment she first stepped onto the TARDIS that she'd been traveling with a madman? And his blue box, she reminded herself as she felt the TARDIS' fond hum.

"Weeeellll, you see… it sort of means bond or union. It's typically given as a wedding gift." The Doctor shoved his hands in his pockets and tried to keep his expression neutral, even as Rose gave him a half-amused look. "You see, they seemed to think we were, well…" he paused, trying to word this without sounding incredibly awkward. "At the ceremony they said um…."

"We were 'mates' I remember that part," she grinned, and he could feel some of the tension dissipate as he slowly smiled back. Well, he reflected, she didn't remember all of it, and suddenly, looking at her brilliant smile, couldn't hold back this one piece of information from a magnificent night she'd never remember.

"Yeah, that's not all. They sort of… performed a marriage ceremony after that. At some point. I think it was after they'd found us over by the trees, er talking and before they had us climbing up to something that suspiciously resembled Pride Rock and toasting the suns." Silence followed his words, Rose with tea dribbling down her shirt, though she didn't seem to care, and the Doctor fingering his sonic screwdriver in his pocket and wondering if he could use it to erase their memories.

"So. Does that mean we're married now?" She asked, one eyebrow raised, an expression the Doctor didn't want to try to read on her face. He looked away, guilt at having pulled her into such a situation that she couldn't even remember welling up.

"Oh, not by any standards that matter. The Wasaki ceremonies are more, suggestions, than actual vows and such. Not really binding. And definitely not human or Time Lord ceremonies. Now, if we were Tefarian, we'd be married, but since neither of us has a tail or scales, I'd say that's rather irrelevant," the Doctor babbled away, taking a deep breath and missing the way Rose's face fell as he talked. She ducked her head slightly, letting her hair ghost over her face. Of course he wouldn't want to be married. Too domestic. And she would wither and die. There was always that. "Rose? Are you okay, is your headache back? The tea _is _working right? I followed the Plutonian recipe to the letter- well, they write with triangle shapes so it wasn't really the letter, it was to the triangle, but you are okay, right?" he asked worriedly? Rose lifted her head, giving him a wide, partially fake grin. His concern really was adorable.

"Pluto eh? I was wondering. Anyway, now that we're _married_ can I call you muffin cakes now?" Rose said playfully, still stroking her golden plant. The warm little hum in her mind really was quite comforting. Maybe the Doctor's TARDIS stroking wasn't as strange as she'd thought. She just grinned as the Doctor looked on in stunned horror at her comment.

"No. Not now, not ever. I do not care if you're my wife, you will not call me something as undignified as 'muffin cakes,'" he scoffed. Rose's eyes lit up, and she decided to simply enjoy this moment as best she could.

"Oh so it does count! Where or when are we going for the honeymoon? New New Earth?" the Doctor threw his hands up in the air in exasperation, though his eyes were cheerful, and lighter than she'd seen in a while.

"We're not- I mean we're not married. Not that I wouldn't mind but we just aren't." he sputtered, but Rose pretended to be oblivious. She could be allowed to babble sometimes, she supposed.

"Oh, but we'll have to go tell mum. She's probably going to slap you for eloping with me, probably make us do an Earth ceremony too. Mmmm you might actually get a second slap for doing it on an alien planet too. She'll warm up to you eventually. Oi, what's my name now, Rose Doctor? Rose Lord? Rose Smith?" she said, her words hollowing as she went, the sinking realization that this was all a jest, however much she wished it was true. She'd never be anything but Rose Tyler. This was all just pretend.

"I don't want to go anywhere near Jackie Tyler. I value my face thank you very much," the Doctor grumbled. He was silent for a moment, as pensive as Rose. He tried to give her a silly grin, but his hearts panged throughout her entire conversation, the impossibility of it and how much he wanted it to be real. "I like Rose Lord," he added quietly after a moment. Rose looked over at him, and she somehow just knew he wasn't fighting this whole charade as much as she'd suspected. She supposed she could settle for being the Doctor's unacknowledged wife. By way of Tefarian tradition. She slipped her hand in his, and they fit perfectly as they always had and always would.

"Come on then, let's pick a planet for the honeymoon," Rose said, flashing the Doctor a huge grin, hoping to fight away both of their dark thoughts, though it slipped when she thought about how that's all this would ever be was a fantasy. If only… and then the Doctor leapt over to the console, pulling her by the hand, her mug abandoned on the floor and her telepathic tree- unconsciously named Hope- clutched in her other hand. They ran around the TARDIS, flipping switches and spouting of the names of a dozen planets they could visit. As the Doctor described them to her, she just sighed, remembering her dream about their lips, locked together as they danced, as impossible as the future she'd imagined but still so sweet. As the TARDIS was swept into the vortex, she met his eyes and thought that if this was all she would ever have, she'd be content with this. Forever.

**AN- So this turned out to be an incredibly long, bittersweet chapter. I loved writing this, and to be honest, with all the crazy escapades they went through, I find it hard to imagine that the Doctor and Rose didn't accidentally get hitched at **_**some**_** point. And I really want to see Jackie's face when they tell her that. Hmmm, idea for a sequel perhaps? I'm curious how many of you would be interested in a sequel of Jackie's reaction. I feel really bad for leaving Rose hanging at the end of the story. Well, that's the end of my first-ever fanfiction, and I am so incredibly excited to have completed it. Hope that you all enjoyed this crazy ride, check out my other story(ies) and leave a review if you please telling me how this all turned out. **


End file.
